Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 15, 2010

Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 15, 2010

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

Beijing Blocks Travelers to Christian Conference

Christian in India Suffers Miscarriage in Hindu Extremist Attack

Poll: Catholics, Protestants Leaning Right in 2010 Election

Presbyterian Court Affirms Ordination of Partnered Homosexual

Beijing Blocks Travelers to Christian Conference

Next week's Lausanne Congress for evangelicals worldwide will boast about 4,000 members -- but more than 230 Chinese delegates may miss the massive gathering. NPR reports that at least 11 people planning to attend have been forbidden to leave China, and many others have come under pressure. Many fear Beijing is moving to exert control over underground Christians. China has an irregular policy of toleration for members of house churches who do not attend churches of the government-backed Three-Self Patriotic Movement. When house churches managed to raise funds to send 200 delegates to Lausanne, however, the government cracked down. Some delegates were stopped at the airport and had their passports confiscated. Chinese officials said the delegates' participation woudl threaten "state security."

Christian in India Suffers Miscarriage in Hindu Extremist Attack

Police in a Karnataka state have arrested two suspected Hindu nationalists for beating four pastors and striking the wife of one of them in the stomach, killing her unborn child. The attack took place at a Christian gathering in a private Christian school to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on Oct. 2 in Chintamani, in Karnataka state's Kolar district, according to Compass Direct News. About 40 people barged into New Public School during the concluding prayer that morning and began selectively beating the pastors and Kejiya Fernandes, wife of one identified only as Pastor Fernandes. Chintamani police eventually broke up the fight at noon when officers took the Christians to the station instead of arresting the attackers. Only two of 12 people named in the police complaint have been arrested.

Poll: Catholics, Protestants Leaning Right in 2010 Election

Religious voters both Protestant and Catholic, Caucasian and Latino, seem to be throwing their support behind Republican candidates this election cycle. According to survey data released by Public Religion Research Institute Tuesday, 49 percent of Catholic voters, both Latino and white, say they are likely to vote Republican. "White Catholics seem mostly like to throw their support behind the GOP," said Gregory Smith, senior researcher at the Pew Forum. He said the Catholic population usually mirrors the American public, meaning Republicans may have fairer weather than usual in November. The survey, conducted last month, further reveals that no more than four in 10 of any white Christian group say they will vote for or are leaning towards the Democratic candidate in their election district.

Presbyterian Court Affirms Ordination of Partnered Homosexual

A Presbyterian regional court has affirmed a Wisconsin church body's decision to ordain a partnered homosexual. According to The Christian Post, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies ruled Saturday that the John Knox Presbytery "acted within its authority" when it approved the ordination of Scott D. Anderson in February. In March, multiple presbyteries alleged that Anderson was ineligible for ordination. They contended that Anderson was approved without his expressing the willingness and intent to comply with the church's constitutional requirement that clergy live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness."